The UK Government has announced a crackdown on 'cowboy builders' and aggressive bailiffs, introducing new measures from September to protect families and home owners from rogue traders.
The changes aim to stop people being ripped off when renovating their homes and ensure those who fall behind on a bill are "treated fairly and with respect".
Problems with tradespeople
According to the UK Government, more than a quarter of people who carried out home improvements work in the past 18 months experienced problems with tradespeople. Issues included projects being abandoned and left unfinished, undue pressure on elderly people to overpay for "shoddy work", or builders leaving the country on holiday with customers' upfront payments and little to no work completed.
Of those affected, one in three faced extra costs, losing an average of £750. In 2024, people lost over £10.3 billion on home and garden maintenance costs due to losses, overpriced costs or unfair practices.
New protections for consumers
From next month, a new UK Government supported scheme will help people identify and hire trusted traders. Businesses signing up to the Approved Code will be able to demonstrate that they meet higher standards of customer service, transparency and dispute resolution.
There will also be a new system to protect people's money during building projects, with payments directly linked to key project milestones. This will support the many builders across the UK who do the right thing by their customers and prevent them being undercut by rogue operators.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "Cowboy builders don't just rip people off. They leave families with months of stress, the disruption of unfinished work, and that horrible feeling of being taken advantage of. Not only that, but they give the vast majority of decent, hardworking tradespeople a bad name.
"So we're putting the cowboys out of business. These changes mean you'll now have the option to make sure your money is held safely and released bit by bit as the work gets done."
Tougher regulation for bailiffs in Wales
Alongside the clampdown on builders, the UK Government also announced tougher regulation for those facing debt in Wales. Private bailiffs will need to be accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board themselves, or to work for an enforcement firm that is accredited to work in Wales.
Minister for courts and legal services, Sarah Sackman said: "Bailiffs have an important job to do, but with that responsibility must come high standards. When someone is already struggling with debt, the last thing they should face is intimidating behaviour, unfair treatment or being pushed into excessive repayment arrangements they cannot afford.
"That's why we're strengthening the rules. All private bailiffs will have to meet proper, professional standards and will be subject to independent oversight - giving people greater protection and somewhere to turn when things go wrong."
